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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · cue · spring · safe · club · firm · rule · press

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spring — the season
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cue — for pool
  5. spring — of water
  6. rule — a law
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rule — government
  9. press — a publisher
  10. club — for golf
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. firm — a company
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. firm — decided
  18. cue — a hint
  19. press — to push
  20. firm — steady
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cold — not warm
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com